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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Would you ask neighbours to stop doing this? (parking, with amazing diagram)

195 replies

HopkinsLeftLeg · 20/10/2021 10:05

We live rurally. At the front of our house is a private lane, leading to small clusters of houses for around a mile along the road.

The school bus picks up kids at the B-road running along our house.

Diagram attached.

We've had issues with 1 neighbour parking on our land (yes, literally) and waiting for 10 mins until the bus picks their child up, turning on our grass, destroying it. Large boulders and sowing a load of replacement grass last summer put a stop to this, but we had a word with them, and asked them to park at the front of our house at drop off and pickup times, twice a day. It blocks our 2nd car parking space, and means i need to keep shutting the bedroom curtain to get dressed as they always arrive as i get changed for work , but we were also trying to be reasonable - there isn't anywhere else for parents to park, so don't mind it for 15min in the morning and 15min in the afternoons. (that's car 1 in my picture)

However, this morning we've found that other parents in the area are using the private lane to park with their engines running, while they wait on school bus pickups. Car 2 and Car 3, right outside our living room window with their engines running, blocking our main driveway meaning we can't get the car out.

DH and I agree that this is annoying but there's nothing we can do - we don't own the private road at the front of the house.

But this feels odd - the parents in question aren't people we know, but we know they are the closest 2 houses (literally about 200 yards up the road) and i can see this might be an issue for years and years to come, 2x a day as their kids are still young. No idea why they've started doing it now, maybe because they've seen car 1 parking at our house?

Would you park as these cars have done?
Would you say anything if you were us, bearing in mind we don't own the road and have zero legal support - the private land owner of the lane is not one of the cars doing this.

Are we being unreasonable to think this is a bit crap of the neighbours?

(I'm originally from the city so no idea of the rural ettiquette involved here)

Would you ask neighbours to stop doing this? (parking, with amazing diagram)

OP posts:

Grimbelina · 20/10/2021 11:01

Go and park in front of their houses so they can't get out!

cricketmum84 · 20/10/2021 11:02

Also if you can't turn because of the blocking cars could an emergency vehicle get through? We have been having a similar issue and I reported it to the council and online to 101 as the bin lorry couldn't get through so there was no way a fire engine could.

He's stopped putting it there now.

Roussette · 20/10/2021 11:03

Why in god's name aren't these children walking?
I'm gobsmacked that parents pick up by car for 528 yeards

Clymene · 20/10/2021 11:03

Are they partially parked on your land (the white bits)? If they are, I'd put some rocks or something there. And you need to be a bit more assertive. You are not a bloody car park because you live nearest the main road. Their children can walk fgs. Lazy arses

Dixiechickonhols · 20/10/2021 11:04

Either park there to stop them. Ask to move each and every time. Or contact school transport at council if it’s a state school or school itself if it’s private and say their bus collection point isn’t working - parents blocking drive.

Grenlei · 20/10/2021 11:05

YANBU

This seems madness to me - I am very much a townie and have never lived outside the M25 but it seems madness that people are driving to drop off or pick up children from a school bus, isn't the point of the bus that you don't need to drive, because it's collecting/ dropping off your child very close to home?

Blackberrybunnet · 20/10/2021 11:07

If it is a private land, I would put a chain across it with a sign saying "private access"

User57327259 · 20/10/2021 11:07

So many people are full of entitlement that they do not care about anyone else. They actually think that they are doing nothing wrong by blocking other people on their driveways. I got this at my house all the time. Police did nothing useful.

TheUndeadLovelinessOfDemons · 20/10/2021 11:09

That's a shorter distance than DS 10 walks to school every day. Why are they being driven?

Dixiechickonhols · 20/10/2021 11:09

I assume it’s due to weather. Kids may be at bus stop in cold and wet 20/30 mins. Buses rarely come on time. If it’s like my DD’s school there isn’t anywhere to keep a wet or bulky warm coat. They get told off for hoodie under blazer. If they get cold and wet at bus stop they’ll be miserable all day - schools are freezing with all windows open due to covid.
No excuse to block drive but I can see why it’s suddenly happening.

Gonnagetgoing · 20/10/2021 11:10

@Clymene

I was thinking rocks or boulders too.

LadyDanburysHat · 20/10/2021 11:11

Just got to the point where these are secondary aged kids. Fuck that, I thought they were little 5 year olds that required escorting. The kids should walk to the bus themselves, and their should be no cars blocking you.

Gonnagetgoing · 20/10/2021 11:11

How about hiring a pair of snarling Rottweillers on a chain right near where they need to park?! not even joking

Clymene · 20/10/2021 11:12

@Dixiechickonhols

I assume it’s due to weather. Kids may be at bus stop in cold and wet 20/30 mins. Buses rarely come on time. If it’s like my DD’s school there isn’t anywhere to keep a wet or bulky warm coat. They get told off for hoodie under blazer. If they get cold and wet at bus stop they’ll be miserable all day - schools are freezing with all windows open due to covid. No excuse to block drive but I can see why it’s suddenly happening.

Millions of children wait at public bus stops for buses to get to school. They don't all sit in mummy's car until they can see the bus coming

NapoleonOzmolysis · 20/10/2021 11:14

As a start can you reverse your cars onto your drives and park them nose on the line so it is bloody obvious that they have blocked you in.

pinkflask · 20/10/2021 11:15

I assume the parents are then driving on to work as soon as DC have got on the bus - it may only be a short walk but if you walk up with DC, wait with them, then walk back to the car it's a waste of time if you'd be driving that way anyway.

Roussette · 20/10/2021 11:16

I assume it’s due to weather. Kids may be at bus stop in cold and wet 20/30 mins. Buses rarely come on time. If it’s like my DD’s school there isn’t anywhere to keep a wet or bulky warm coat. They get told off for hoodie under blazer. If they get cold and wet at bus stop they’ll be miserable all day - schools are freezing with all windows open due to covid. No excuse to block drive but I can see why it’s suddenly happening

Really?
We're raising a nation of wusses!
They're 11 and 12, I'm sure they can cope with a bit of drizzle every now and again!

Clymene · 20/10/2021 11:16

@pinkflask

Why do they have to walk up with their children. They're secondary age, walking up a private road.

Dixiechickonhols · 20/10/2021 11:16

Do you know private lane owner? If it’s just supposed to be access to houses then they may take action to stop random cars parking up.

Bluetrews25 · 20/10/2021 11:16

Excellent diagram.
Chain it off as a PP suggested.
Has anyone said penguin bollards yet?

IAAP · 20/10/2021 11:21

Complain to the bus company and the school and get them to move the stop? Ask for them to park on wider public road away from your drive ways.

Start putting in bills for damage or film photo log of then block your driveways - also go to council

IntermittentParps · 20/10/2021 11:22

@NorthSouthcatlady

They are impressively lazy driving that far, l suppose it part explains the obesity issues in this country with adults and children. I vote you need to break this habit with a mixture of parking your cars in their spots, mixed in with on other days with magically wanting to get your car off the driveway whilst they’re parked there. Basically make it super inconvenient for them

Yes, I can't quite get past people driving their kids 200 yards down the road.

Park right across your own driveway. Put up signs.

Daisydoesnt · 20/10/2021 11:26

Complain to the bus company and the school and get them to move the stop? Ask for them to park on wider public road away from your drive ways

This.

Dixiechickonhols · 20/10/2021 11:27

Roysette It’s absolutely chucking it down here today and freezing. A child in a blazer and shirt will be soaked to skin and cold all day. Standing in cold and wet is worse than walking in it. They may have to wait 20/30 mins - rural school buses won’t be on time. DD’s school is freezing at minute due to covid open windows policy - I assume staff are tolerating it as it’s better than covid and can wear own warm clothes - my teen is turning blue.
Not ops problem and they shouldn’t block drive but it could well be the issue. Obviously schools should have proper facilities to store wet weather gear/warm coats/wellies etc but lots don’t. So sitting in warm car waiting is obviously a thing hence 3 cars doing it. Then mum or dad drives off to work.

Stickyblue1987 · 20/10/2021 11:27

They shouldn't be blocking your access. Buy a couple of cones to set out every night that you can remove easily.

I lived somewhere where people would park in a lay-by (there was a post Office opposite). Every day people would park further down the lay-by blocking our access. On many occasions I had to go into the post office and say 'can the driver of x move their car'. It was always 'I'll only be a minute'. It's so frustrating, it may only be 5-10 minutes but with a finely tuned morning routine it make s a huge difference! Nip it in the bud now,

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